Spears plans to donate to terrorist victims

Spears plans to donate to terrorist victims
NEW YORK -- Britney Spears plans to give $1 from each ticket sold for her upcoming fall tour to the children of the firefighters and police officers killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
The 19-year-old pop star also announced Tuesday that she would sell merchandise and auction some front-row seats to raise money for the victims' children. She's hoping to raise up to $2 million.
Spears' tour is set to begin Oct. 26 in Miami. She was overseas on a promotional tour when the terrorist attacks occurred last Tuesday, and canceled her international itinerary to be with her family.
Also Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Spears and her boyfriend, 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake, told The Associated Press that the pair was not involved in a planned benefit song that Michael Jackson had announced Monday. Representatives for Jackson referred requests for comment to his management, which did not immediately respond.
Jennifer Lopez' to tapePuerto Rico shows
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Jennifer Lopez will perform two concerts in Puerto Rico this weekend that will be filmed for television and shown throughout the United States.
"It's going to be something very beautiful and I really believe it's a show that comes from my soul and my heart," she said Tuesday, speaking in Spanish.
Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, Lopez said she had wanted to hold the concerts in San Juan "for my music and my people."
Lopez, who arrived Monday, is to perform Friday and Saturday at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum.
The concert is to be taped by NBC and will be shown in late November, promoters said.
Baltimore Orchestra music director resigns
BALTIMORE -- David Zinman has resigned as music director emeritus of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Zinman resigned in protest of the orchestra's artistic direction, specifically a drop-off in the performance of works by contemporary American composers.
Yuri Temirkanov, who succeeded Zinman as music director in January 2000, has emphasized a Russian and European repertoire.
The players' committee of the orchestra received Zinman's letter of resignation just before the orchestra opened its 2001-02 season last week.
"We're saddened by this," said violist Jeffrey Stewart, chairman of the committee. "We intend to communicate to David that it's a real loss to the orchestra. Hopefully, it will be short-lived."
Zinman, who served as musical director for 13 years, also canceled previously scheduled appearances with the orchestra in March. During his tenure, he was known for championing American music, much of it commissioned by the orchestra.
Model's home robbed
LONDON -- A London antiques dealer was found guilty Tuesday of burglarizing the London home of Jerry Hall while she was appearing on stage.
David Michael Bryce was convicted of stealing jewelry, a laptop computer, and a candlestick worth a combined $10,850 from her home last September. The burglary took place while the former model and ex-Mrs. Mick Jagger was appearing in "The Graduate" in London's West End.
The following day, a candlestick with Bryce's fingerprints on it was found in a bag hidden by bushes near Hall's home. Bryce said he had found the bag while out walking his dog.
Cher testifies in lawsuitover construction issue
LOS ANGELES -- Cher testified in an accountant's wrongful termination lawsuit that she was shocked by his legal action against her.
"I just thought it was nuts," she said Monday. "I was pretty flabbergasted."
Wearing black slacks and a pink suit jacket, Cher took the witness stand for the first time in the case filed by Salvatore Sampino.
The singer-actress answered questions from Sampino's attorney, William Bloch, and admitted in the courtroom that she found Sampino to be "flamboyant and amusing."
"I think he tried hard to make me laugh and feel good," she said.
Cher also said the lawsuit surprised her.
"I was astonished by the things that it said, and how virulent the attack on me personally was," the 55-year-old entertainer said.
Sampino, 40, alleges he was wrongfully terminated in May 2000 for noting labor violations, including the hiring of illegal immigrants, during the renovation of the star's Malibu mansion.
S. Jerome Mandel, the attorney representing Cher and the construction management companies hired to work on the home, has said Sampino never uttered a word about how workers were being treated.
The defense also has argued that Sampino never worked for Cher but for Artemis Design and Consulting, the principal contractor on the home project.
Sampino seeks unspecified damages for wrongful termination, retaliation, sexual harassment, defamation, unfair competition, negligence and unpaid wages.
Today's Birthdays
Basketball Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach is 84. Actress Peg Phillips is 83. Singer Gogi Grant is 77. Psychologist Joyce Brothers is 73. Actress-comedian Anne Meara is 72. Actress Sophia Loren is 67. Rock musician Chuck Panozzo (Styx) is 54. Former hockey player Guy LaFleur is 50. Jazz musician Peter White is 47. Actress Betsy Brantley is 46. Actor Gary Cole is 45. Actress Kristen Johnston is 34. Rock singers Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson are 34. Rock musician Ben Shepherd is 33. Rock musician Rick Woolstenhulme (Lifehouse) is 22.